


Bath Water

by Meridian (Meri)



Category: The Chief (UK), The Professionals
Genre: First Time, Japanese Bath, M/M, PWP
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2000-10-01
Updated: 2000-10-01
Packaged: 2017-10-18 00:01:16
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,989
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/182767
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Meri/pseuds/Meridian
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>This was originally published in No Holds Barred #20 Oct. 2000 and has been reedited.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Bath Water

An invitation offered and accepted had brought Alan Cade, Chief Constable of Eastland, to this address. A plain town-house on a plain street, just like all the rest in the surrounding neighbourhood.

A brass plate with Japanese character's told him nothing. Alan checked the address again. This was the right place.

He knocked and waited, hands in his pockets so that they wouldn't tremble.

No, he wasn't nervous.

Perhaps he was. And for what reason? Was this meeting so important? Could this man mean anything to him beyond a bit of fun on a Friday night?

He'd met William Bodie at a conference a few weeks ago, arguing tactics and technique with the Vice-controller of CI5, sharing surprisingly good-humour and a stunning attraction. On law enforcement issues, there would be little agreement, too far apart on means and methods. On personal issues, there had been no time for pursuit within the tightly scheduled conference, despite obvious interest on both their parts.

This morning's quick call had come as a surprise, but not an unpleasant one. He'd half-hoped to hear from Bodie sooner, but understood the realities of a busy life just couldn't be avoided. Too often the personal was lost in the rush of the professional.

The door opened. A petite woman in a traditional kimono stepped out and bowed. "Mr. Cade?"

Clearly he was expected. He bowed slightly. "Yes."

"Please follow me." She held the door open for him to precede her into the building. Once inside, the crisp evening air gave way to moist heavy humidity. As he started to sweat, Alan loosened his tie, and shrugged out of his coat.

What was this place?

Unadorned light woods covered the floors, walls and ceiling, speaking of simplicity at its finest. Led along a dimly lit hall, Alan followed silently, observing his surroundings, but offering no comment.

"In here you may change," she said, bowing and holding the door, but not entering. "Mr. Bodie will meet you through the far door." And with that, she was gone.

A quick glance showed him a row of wooden benches, a man's suit and underclothes hooked on pegs above them. A green silk robe lay on one of the benches, obviously for him.

Uncertain, a step through the far door revealed a full Japanese bath, complete with large wooden tubs and little stools for cleaning before the soak. Excellent. It had been a long time, years in fact, since he'd indulged in such luxury.

Slipping out of his clothes and into the green robe, the lush fabric cool and then warm against his skin. Alan went back through the door. This time he was met by a similarly clad Bodie.

Oh, and he was beautiful. Pale skin, set off by sapphire silk, William Bodie was magnificent. Despite his best attempts to control his response, the silk dressing gown hid nothing. How unseemly to be aroused so quickly, and at his age, too. He could have been humiliated had Bodie not reacted much the same way and in near as short a time.

Bodie reached out to shake his hand in greeting, although it was obvious they'd already greeted each other on another level. Lingering on the touch, Alan smiled.

"It's good to see you again," Bodie said. Simple words from a complex man.

"And you. What is this place? Beyond the obvious."

"A private bath house. Mostly used by Japanese businessmen. I've rented it for the night."

"Very nice."

Bodie looked right at him. "Yes." A flick of his head toward the steaming bath, and Bodie smiled again. "The attendant is gone. I'll help you bathe."

Seduction it was. As if he hadn't known.

Years of early morning exercise became worth the effort when he removed his dressing gown and saw the fire leap in Bodie's eyes. Alan lowered his gaze; the ravenous look on Bodie's face glided pleasantly on his nerves, making promises, sizzling in his mind.

He sat on the hard stool, wood smooth beneath his bottom, waiting, wanting, trying to control and failing wonderfully. "You said..."

Rousting himself, Bodie turned and smiled again, a faintest blush touching his cheeks. "Sorry, I was distracted, wasn't I?"

Heat rose in _his_ cheeks then. "And I hope it will continue."

"As do I." Bodie picked up a bucket and moved toward him. Warm water and a thick sponge moved over his skin, creating more fire than it banked. An exercise that should have been sexless became something more, something slow and sensual, something moving him toward a shared goal. He sighed, relaxing into the strong hands, enjoying the simplicity of the touch, and the expertise of the seduction.

As he rose to be rinsed, fire ached hot in his belly. A fat cock pressed against the crease in his buttocks, sending shivers through him. Christ, he wanted to surrender completely and spread himself on the floor. Too long. It had been far too long since anyone had touched him at all.

Somehow Bodie had slipped beyond his carefully constructed protection and Alan wasn't sure if should be delighted or appalled. The various emotions warred, none gaining supremacy until a draw was called and Alan decided to wait and see what the night brought.

"Soon," Bodie promised again, stepping back.

Very soon. Alan shivered. But not soon enough. Waiting will make it all the finer, pulling the strings of desire taut until they both couldn't breathe for the fire between them. It would happen, but not right now.

A deep breath. Release the tension. Better. Alan stepped away, turning to Bodie. "I'll return the favour."

Bodie's eyebrow rose and slight smile touched his mouth.

"The wash. For the bath?" A flush Alan could not control crawled across his face. For a man who nearly never blushed, he'd done too much of it in the last thirty minutes. What was it about Bodie? Something, something... Whatever it was, it made Alan more jittery than he'd been in years.

Nodding, Bodie removed his dressing gown and seated himself. Within the thin covering of blue silk, Bodie was beautiful. Without it, he was beyond words. Closing his eyes for a moment, Alan tried to block the effect, counting slowly backward from a hundred. Soon.

The water was still warm, and the sponge still soapy, Alan went to work. His fingers tracing hard muscles and long tendons as he cleaned the pale flesh; urging Bodie to his feet, Alan tipped the bucked, warm water sluicing down over his naked body.

Their eyes met. Very soon.

Easing slowly into the water, heat rising, skin flushing, Alan sighed. Good. Very good. The temperature should have precluded arousal, but surprisingly it did not. For either of them.

He smiled.

Bodie smiled back.

Urgency strung between them, hotter than the water, more powerful than fire.

They hardly knew each other, but on some level there was a connection between them. But words were necessary sometimes.

Alan had to speak. "It's been some time since I've done this." He'd meant the bath, but as soon as he'd said it, he knew it could be taken another way. That was true as well, but far more personal, not something he would say out loud.

"A bath?" Bodie played along, letting him get away with the slip.

Decent of him. "That too."

Bodie continued to side-step. "I spent some time in Japan."

Interesting. Alan nodded for him to continue, if he wanted, and then was surprised when Bodie did.

"I required some transition time between jobs before returning to England."

An opening if ever he'd heard one. And he took it. "From where?"

"From Africa."

Did Bodie want to talk about it? Did he want to hear whatever Bodie might have to say? Yes, he expected that he did. "Doing what?"

And so apparently did Bodie. "I was a mercenary."

More to it than just that, the tone said as much. "Bad?" Silly question, of course it was. If the subject were something that could be joked off, Bodie would have or it would not have come up.

Perhaps it shouldn't have. Too soon. Bodie's eyes dropped. "Very bad."

"Tell me?" Not quite a command, but more than a question. Surprisingly, he wanted to know. Just curiosity? He could not say.

Another deep sigh, Bodie's mouth opened to speak, but no sound emerged.

Steam drifted upward, sweat rolling down from Bodie's temple. Shaking his head, clearly this was not as easy as Bodie had thought it would be, if indeed, he'd thought it would be easy.

Alan's knuckles grazed Bodie's cheek. "Another time?" Would there even be another time? Legal or not, Eastland Constabulary would not look kindly on a homosexual affair involving their Chief Constable. He was way ahead of himself; they hadn't even had dinner yet.

"I..." No more words, but a nod. "Another time."

Time later for secrets, for confidences, when they were friends, if they became friends, beyond tonight.

Bodie's eyes were still down-cast, living something Alan could not see, but guessing wasn't hard. Not hard at all. Younger and more beautiful, it was doubtful Bodie escaped unscathed from his experiences, even if he were unmolested by them.

Almost of its own accord, Alan's hand touched Bodie's jaw, bringing his face to the proper angle, and leaning down to kiss the frowning lips slowly. Hunger spiked deep inside and Alan devoured the lush mouth, his tongue moving in and out, tasting the wonder of Bodie. Drawn down into Bodie's arms, he was pulled to straddle hard thighs, feeling the quiescent cock start to harden against him in the hot water. Pressing into the embrace until they were chest to chest, Alan leaned further into the kiss, allowing Bodie's tongue access to his mouth, groaning softly as his lips were breached, tasted, plundered with a passion that he hadn't known in too long.

Bodie's arms tightened around his back, a hand sliding over his buttocks, in between, down the crease. Heat, light, fire roared through him, and when he would have lost himself in the kiss, wanting to press back against the thick fingers, they were removed.

He looked up, startled.

Closed eyes opened, regret present. "We can't do this now."

Why not? But as the stimulation stopped, sanity returned. Rented room or not, this was a public place. Far too public for what he wanted. "You're right, of course."

A deep sigh left Bodie's lips. "I'm sorry."

"No. I am." He was the one who started this. But how was he to have known that his body was an ember waiting for the proper match.

He allowed the fire to melt to temperate warmth. For the moment, anyway.

Gentle hands on his hips, pushed him to his feet in the hot water. Bodie leaned forward and pressed a kiss to his belly, just above the hair line. "Soon."

Alan nodded. Very soon. "And now?"

Bodie climbed out. "Dinner?"

Now? Surprisingly, Alan _was_ hungry. A Long day with little time for a break did him in once again. He took the towel Bodie handed him. "Where?"

"My flat?" A question? As if he'd possibly want to go anywhere else.

"Perfect."

Cool clothes over his heated body, didn't drown the fire, sensitizing the skin. Pants pressed and rubbed inside his trousers, sparks flying each time he moved. Each brush of his cotton shirt against the peaks of his nipples, aching unbearably, fanning the heat already smouldering within him.

The gentle vibrations of Bodie's sleek car doubled and tripled the sensations, humming through him with the power of an inferno. Rush hour traffic nearly was over, but each stop light spiralled longer and longer, the trembling in his body constant, moving, no control left. The aching in his belly was excruciating.

He slid a hand across the front of his shirt, rubbing, hopping to ease the yearning, even a bit. Bodie reached out, tapping his wrist with two fingers.

"No. Wait for me."

Closing his eyes, Alan nodded.

No hope now, except for Bodie.

The car braked in front of a nice two-story townhouse; Alan barely noticed. Through the door, a hand on his shoulder pushed him into the kitchen. No longer able to speak, he made a sound of approval as he was turned.

Released from normal constants, Bodie took the edges of his dress shirt, pulling it apart, buttons flying. Panting, Alan was pressed faced down across the table, smooth wood touching his bare chest, sending needles of pleasure outward from his nipples.

Finally.

Starting to raise his head and was pushed back down. Shivering, he suddenly realized he didn't know Bodie that well after all.

"Stay." There was enough tenderness in the word and in the caress of his neck that Alan obeyed the command.

Bodie fumbled with the binding on Alan's trousers, pulling them down to his knees, baring his heated skin to the cool air, goose bumps rising, tension curling its tendrils through him. He shivered again, partly fear, partly excitement, wholly aroused.

The cheeks of his arse were pressed apart and Bodie's tongue lapped against the exposed hole, heat exploding, limbs trembling, Alan cried out. As the first finger that tried to enter him, it was clear they would need something else.

The warmth against his back withdrew. Alan bit back a whimper. Rather that it hurt than not to have Bodie at all. Shortly, the fingers returned to him, slicked with something to ease the way. The unmistakable scent olive oil filled his nostrils and Alan would have laughed, had he been able to find the breath. Too far gone to care about anything other than the luscious sensations of the fingers moving inside him.

Tension built, expanding outward to capture his mind, Alan moved with the rhythm until he was caught in it and Bodie would have to act or lose him to the bliss. Alan panted. "I'm going to come from your fingers."

"Can't have that, now can we?" The fingers left him, replaced by something else. Bigger, hotter, definitely not fingers.

Oh Christ, it hurt. Oh yes. Hard, bright, unbearable pain welled up from the intrusion. But there was glory in the burn. Alan pressed back, loving it, taking it in, making it his. The brilliance surged again and now it was bliss, as Bodie moved on him, in him, taking to a place he never went. Heat, white hot sensations cascaded around him, sweeping him up and out of himself into a quintessential moment of perfection. It broke apart, sparks flying, everything gone in blinding light.

Awareness came back slowly, painfully as Alan tried to breathe with the table cutting into his lower body and Bodie heavy on his back. Trying to shift out from under Bodie proved more difficult than first thought. "Bodie?"

"Hmm?"

Not the answer he'd been looking for, but Bodie moved off him.

"Sorry," Bodie murmured, bending to press a kiss to his lower back. Moving on to the ravaged muscle below, Bodie's tongue easing the hurt.

Alan sighed contentedly. Had he any energy left, the tender ministrations would have aroused him again, but Bodie's attention brought only comfort.

Straightening up, his muscles did not love him right then. He tried to put his clothes to rights, but gave it up for a lost cause, stripping them off instead. The realities of wild sex made themselves known with inflamed tissue in his anus, the stiff trembling of his over-taxed muscles, and the general pain in his lower back.

"Bloody hell. I am too old for this." A lie. Despite the discomfort, he felt younger and more alive than he had in years.

Bodie pouted. "Never. For either one of us."

Holding open his arms, Alan laughed. "Maybe not, blue eyes, but it's the first time I’ve been fucked over a table." The endearment slipped out and he glanced at Bodie to see its effect.

Surprise filled Bodie's face. "Blue eyes?"

Backtrack or forward? Standing naked with nothing to lose, Alan shrugged. "Just an endearment. No harm intended."

"None taken." The tone was just too flat.

"But don't do it again?" The last thing he wanted was to assume liberties not freely given.

"Didn't say that, did I?" There might have been a teasing twinkle in Bodie's eyes, but he couldn't tell for sure.

Crossing his arms over his chest, Alan glared, taking nothing for granted. "And?"

"And nothing." A smile cracked Bodie's mouth, and tenderness broke over that. "I liked it. No one's ever given me a pet name before."

Wasn't there something very sad about that? But perhaps if there was a repeat of this he could use it in the future? Or perhaps not. "First time for everything."

"Like being fucked over a table?"

"That, too."

Bodie stepped into his arms, kissing him deeply.

Alan shuddered as Bodie's tongue explored his mouth, remapping all the places already learnt. A hand on his arse, pulled him closer still, fingers sliding in to tease tender surface, arousal building again with remarkable speed, faster than it had in years.

"Again?" Bodie asked against his mouth, tongue snaking out to move along his lips.

When his mouth was free, Alan pulled back a little. "Not on that bloody table." Once was grand, twice didn't bear thinking about.

Bodie laughed. "There's a double bed upstairs."

"A fine choice." Alan leant in for another kiss, canting his hips forward to press against the answering hardness. A thrill shimmered through him.

Without letting go or falling, they made it into Bodie's big bed. Arms wrapped tightly, legs intertwined, Alan held on as they kissed unendingly, tenderness and passion mixing. Arousal building to an astonishingly quick peak, but before Alan could let go completely, Bodie pulled away.

"Fancy fucking me?"

"Oh, yes." Very much so.

"There's gel in the bedside table drawer." Bodie rolled onto his belly, presenting nicely for Alan.

"What, no olive oil?" Alan retrieved the tube from said drawer.

"Virgin olive oil, at that." Bodie chuckled, throwing him a cheeky grin from over his shoulder.

Alan laughed. "Far from it, old son."

"Never doubted that. Get on with it"

His task set out, Alan bent to it, spending long moments touching, stroking, and kissing Bodie before sinking into the tight bliss of his heat. Languid after the fury of before, Alan moved slowly and tenderly, making it last as long as he could, giving and receiving pleasure until it broke like a sudden storm above them, raining down satisfaction.

Satiated, content beyond words, Alan drew Bodie into his arms and settled down to sleep. Only to be rudely poked in his ribs a few minutes later.

"Oi. Alan. Don't go to sleep."

Prying an eye open, he tried to glare. "And why not?"

Bodie nibbled his ear. Shivering, he tried to move away from the distracting mouth, but finally gave in, turning toward Bodie and kissing him again. Obviously no sleep for the wicked tonight. "Not that I'm complaining about the kiss, but there's no more left. If you get my drift." Alan nudged his passive cock against Bodie's thigh.

"That was a distraction. We need a wash before we ruin the duvet."

As if it weren't ruined already. "Too late."

"It will be worse if it's left over night."

No hope for a reprieve. Alan pushed himself into a sitting position and winced. "Bath?"

"Share it with me." Bodie also sat up, and felt it.

"Will we both fit?"

"Custom done. Big enough for two."

Decorated in white and chrome, the bath was indeed big enough for two, if not more. What other surprises did Bodie have for him? And did he want to find out? "Why go to all this trouble, not to mention expense?"

"I like being in hot water, being clean."

"And I wonder why that would be so?" Alan could guess, given what he'd already learned tonight.

"Been dirty. For long periods of time. Until you'd sell your soul for a bath."

"In Africa?" Of course that's where.

"That kind of thing stays with a man. Makes him appreciate the simple pleasures in life."

Like hot water and good sex. "Yeah." He could understand that. Alan put a hand on Bodie's shoulder and would have liked to have said something reassuring, but words failed him.

They barely knew each other. And fucking was so much easier than talking, physical intimacy so much easier than emotional. As much as he desired Bodie, how much did he really want to know? How much of himself did he want to risk? A sigh fought its way out of him and he knew. It _did_ matter. Somehow it did. "Tell me about it."

Bodie turned off the taps and climbed into the bath, sitting back and spreading his legs so that Alan could sit between them. Once settled against Bodie's chest, Alan closed his eyes and let hot water relax him again. Apparently, Bodie had nothing to say. Just as well.

Even as the thought formed, Bodie began to speak. "It was dirty, hot, and humid. The natives lived in squalor, half-starved, filthy. Awful. The war tore everything apart, including the people."

"And you?"

"Good with guns, but too pretty by half. Had to be on-guard for a long time, until I proved myself. Got caught out a couple of times, but I learnt to defend myself pretty well."

Asking what _caught out_ meant didn't even occur to Alan, he was very much afraid he already knew and didn't want confirmation one way or another.

Bodie laughed self-depreciating. "Started out too young to know how dangerous what I was doing was. Reckon I learnt pretty quick."

A lot of hard lessons, no doubt. "I'll bet you did."

"Can't say I regret going, though. It taught me a lot I wouldn't have learnt elsewhere."

Alan couldn't imagine what, but again, he wouldn't ask that. "That's all right, then."

"You?"

Him? Nothing out of the ordinary or that would make a good tale. "Nothing in my past. I've been a cooper for twenty or more years. Moved up the ranks until I made Chief."

"Like it?"

"Some. The politics invariably leave a bit to be desired."

"Yeah. Been there myself."

There was a piece of the Bodie puzzle missing. "How did you get to CI5 from Africa?"

"Via the Paras and then SAS."

That made sense. "Going to be controller?"

"Probably not." Bodie sounded without a hope of having it.

"Why not?"

"Don't have the background."

That was something else Alan understood only too well. "Didn't go to the right schools?"

"Worse. Didn't go to school at all."

Alan turned and looked over his shoulder. "What? How?"

"Left home at fourteen."

Before he could call the question back, it was out of his mouth. "Why on earth?"

Bodie was silent for a while. When Alan would have apologized for the impertinent question, Bodie sighed. "My step-father took to beating me and my mum. She wouldn't leave him, believe that what you got, you got and dealt with. But she gave me money to go."

"And you did?"

"Yeah. Was probably the best thing I could have done." A shudder passed through Bodie's frame.

Wait for it. There was more here, Alan knew it.

"He killed my mum and himself a couple of years later."

"Christ!" He squeezed the arms wrapped around his chest.

"Yeah." Bodie breathed in deeply and they were silent, letting the warm water ease the tension.

When the stillness became too great, Alan picked up a flannel, soaping it and began to wash.

"Thought I'd help with that," Bodie said, taking the cloth from his hand and pushing Alan forward.

Once again, Bodie's hands slid over his skin, without the intent of earlier, but just as pleasant in its own way. Alan leant into the touch, luxuriating in the simple caress. The time came to reverse the affection and he was happy to do so.

Finally back in bed, Alan dozed off.

The phone rang at 3:00, startling them out of a sound sleep.

Without thinking Alan reached for the phone, mumbling "Cade," into it.

An amused voice asked for Bodie, and Alan woke up enough to realize that this wasn't his phone, or his bed. "It's for you." At least the blush didn't show in the dark.

Bodie was up and out in a few moments, leaving Alan to sleep alone in his big bed, something whispered about his boss in trouble. Alan hadn't gleaned all the details, but Bodie had been upset. Tossing and turning, Alan had some trouble relaxing enough to sleep and wondered if he should get up and go home. But no. He'd stay.

* * *

The grey dawn just starting to appear through the curtains, when Alan awoke, startled, not sure what had pulled him from sleep. And at the window, Bodie stood huddled against the frame, misery in each cell of his back.

Bad news, then.

Should he act? Leave the warm bed and sleep to offer what comfort he could. Under any circumstances suffering touched him, but this particular circumstance more so. He could not acknowledge the tenderness, the feeling would remain unaddressed. But to reach out, cross that invisible line, to take a risk? Fear cautioned hesitation. Too much at stake.

But with surrender came the possibility of redemption, whose, he wasn't sure. Moving the blankets aside, Alan stood. Crossing the shadowed room in silence, he slid his arms around Bodie's waist from behind.

Bodie stiffened. And then sighed, relaxing infinitesimally into his embrace.

Turning, he drew Alan into his arms, gripping tightly. "Cowley was killed tonight," Bodie murmured into his hair, the grip becoming fierce for a moment; leaving bruises in its wake. "Was nothing I could do once he was transported. Came back here to catch a few hours of sleep before I went back in."

Remaining silent, he let Bodie hold him, and find what comfort he could. "I'm so sorry."

A nod. "I... I admired him."

Substantive praise from someone such as Bodie.

Lowering his head to Alan's shoulder, Bodie breathed in and out quickly, not letting go or saying anything else. Long moments slipped by as the embrace grew more desperate. Bodie's hands tipped his face up, and kissed him deeply. Returning the kiss with equal fervour, mouths melding, teeth clashing, tongues slipping over each other, Alan knew immediately what Bodie required -- what anyone would require in the face of death.

Conveniently naked already, Alan stepped back and leant forward over thickly padded chair. "Go on, then."

He heard a shuddering breath, and the sound of a zip, but even as desperate as Bodie must have been, he paused long enough to retrieve the lubricant from the bed. Cold gel slicked in quickly, and then the press of hot flesh pushed inside him. It hurt, badly this time, and he flagged a bit until Bodie found his prostate, and then, with control ruined in the fire Bodie created, he didn't care about what sore he might be in the morning or anything at all.

Pain and glory combined until bliss overwhelmed him and he came hard, spiralling down into a vast abyss of pleasure.

"Thank you." Bodie's harsh voice brought him back to himself. "That was kindly done of you."

"I've been there myself. I know it helps." The warmth on his back lifted off. And Bodie pressed a kiss to his back of his neck, tender and sweet.

"Another bath, I think?"

Alan laughed. "I haven't been this clean in some time." He raised a hand to Bodie's face, grey in the early morning light. "Are you all right, blue eyes?" Damn, he hadn't meant to use the endearment again. It gave too much away, but somehow he couldn't help himself.

A genuine smile lit Bodie's eyes for a moment. "I'm beginning to like that."

"A pet name?" Alan couldn't credit it.

"Yeah." The light in those eyes didn't bear thinking too much about. Hope could kill a man faster than a bullet.

Settled into the hot water, Alan held Bodie against his chest, luxuriating in the just holding him for the moment.

"You seem quiet," Bodie said, a hand stroking along Alan's thigh.

Wasn't he supposed to say that? "Thinking too much, I reckon. You still all right?"

"Yeah. I'm going to have to go in and make arrangements. But knowing Cowley, he's had everything arranged to within an inch of its life. "

Very true. That was George Cowley. "Is there anything I can do?"

"Nothing. Thank you."

Well, that was that, then. Still, he found it hard to let go. "Why don't I bring dinner by tonight -- take away or something? He didn't want to lose this connection in the trauma and strife that would come in the next few days.

Bodie leant back further, his head resting on Alan's shoulder, his hand stroking along the arms Alan had wrapped around him. "That would be good of you. But unnecessary."

"I don't mind." And he didn't. Seeing Bodie again would be reward in itself.

"Thank you. I should get back to headquarters. Things will be in disarray."

Actually, Alan had been surprised that he'd come back here at all. But then, he'd had to get himself together to face the rest of it. "Breakfast?"

"No thanks. Not hungry."

Bodie couldn't see his smile nor did he make the obvious joke. He nudged Bodie up, and stood himself, handing over a bath towel. Finding all of Alan's clothes proved a challenge, scattered as they were about the house. They dressed in silence and then Bodie dropped him at his car.

One final kiss would have been lovely, but not in public, even at 7:00 am on a Saturday morning. Couldn't chance it.

"Tonight, then?" Alan asked, pulling his keys from his pocket.

"Yeah, and..." Bodie paused and looked out the windscreen for a moment. "Thanks."

"Was my pleasure." And it was.

\-- finis


End file.
